Richard A. Jones

rajones@mail.utexas.edu
Inorganic Chemistry
Professor, Faculty
Richard A. Jones

Contact Information

Office
WEL 4.414
Office Phone
471-1706
Fax
471-8696

Education

BS, ARCS (1976);   PhD, Imperial College London (1978);   DIC, Imperial College of Science and Technology, UK (1978)

Research Interests

Research interests encompass synthesis, structure and bonding in the organometallic and coordination chemistry of both d- and f-block (transition metal) and s- and p block (main group) elements. Current research efforts are aimed at the development of various applications of inorganic chemistry.

Lanthanide compounds are of considerable interest due to their potential applications in biology, medicine and materials science. We are interested in several areas of lanthanide chemistry. Of particular interest are compounds with useful photophysical properties. For example the near infra-red (NIR) properties of Yb(III), Nd(III) and Er(III) are of interest for use in bioassays and laser systems. Since f-f transitions are parity forbidden suitable chromophores can be used which act as antennas or sensitizers, transferring energy indirectly to the lanthanide ion, and resulting in high absorption coefficients.



High nuclearity lanthanide complexes and systems which exhibit supramolecular frameworks of lanthanides are other areas of current interest. We have recently found that certain lanthanide complexes can have extended 3D frameworks which contain pores or cavities which are capable of entrapping small organic molecules. Specific design of these kinds of materials allows for the control over useful and/or interesting properties (e.g. magnetic, electronic, optic, host guest etc). Materials which contain cavities and pores are also potentially useful for applications in separations, storage and catalysis.

Materials. In the past we have explored the fundamental chemistry of precursors to useful electronic materials such as GaAs, InP, TiN GaN etc. We are now actively engaged in the design and development of new precursors for the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of high purity thin films of transition metals such as Co, Ni, Re and Ru. There are many important applications of these materials in the microelectronics industry.



Representative Publications

  • X-P. Yang and R. A. Jones, J.  "Anion Dependant Self-Assembly of "Tetra-Decker" and "Triple-Decker" Luminescent Tb(III) Salen Complexes" Amer.Chem. Soc 127 (2005): 7686-7687.

  • X-P. Yang, R. A Jones, V. Lynch, M. M. Oye, A. L. Holmes  "Synthesis and Near Infrared Luminescence of a Tetrametallic Zn2Yb2 Architecture from a Trinuclear Zn3L2 Schiff Base Complex" Dalton Trans.   (2005): 849-851.

  • X-P. Yang, R. A. Jones, and M. J. Wiester  "A Nanoscale Slipped Sandwich of Tb10 - Stabilization of a Benzaldehyde Methyl Hemiacetyl" Dalton Trans.   (2004): 1787-1788.

  • G. S. Hair, A. H. Cowley, J. D. Gorden, J. N. Jones, R. A. Jones and C. L. B. Macdonald  "Novel Supramolecular Architectures in Group 13 Perfluoroaryl Complexes, Synthesis and Structures of [AlMe(C6F5)(ยต-Me)]2 and Ga(C6F5)Me2" Chem. Comm   (2003): 424-425.

  • L. Zhang, R. A. Jones and V. M. Lynch  "Synthesis and Structure of a Novel Supramolecular Zn3Co8 Assembly Containing a Linear Zn3 Core" Chem. Comm.   (2002): 2986-2987.